Jettison
by False1
Summary: Two years after the Rain of Fire, Spike and Angel are dead, the Slayer line has been destroyed, and the Beast rules supreme. There's a chance to change this, but it won't be easy. Can't summarise. Just read & review.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Does anyone else feel that unless you first actually write, "I am Joss Whedon, this is what I wanted to do but the others wouldn't let me," you shouldn't have to say this? None of them are mine.  
  
Spoilers: Angel spoilers to Rain of Fire, Buffy spoilers to Bring on the Night. However, some of the same things happened to quite late on in Buffy. Just read (and review), it should become clearer. Anyway it's two years later and it won't be an important part of the story for too long.  
  
I was going to wait until I'd finished everything else before writing this, but I'm temporarily stuck, and this idea's been nagging at me for a while now, so I'm at least going to get the first few chapters up before carrying on.  
  
After a while I learned to be grateful for the little things in life. Like waking up every morning in the arms of the woman I love. Like waking up every morning. Like there being a morning to wake up in.  
  
I slide out of bed and go into what we're calling the bathroom. She rolls over onto my side and steals the rest of the blankets without even waking up. I angle the mirror so it catches more of the weak sunshine coming in diagonally through the high, narrow window, and try to shave. With a knife and cold water what we call shaving is more like having a really short beard. Just a centimetre closer and the mirror would be drenched in red. I have almost as much trouble as Wesley shaving these days. A broken-clawed Skelosh demon clawed the side of my face open, three ragged scars running down from my cheekbone to the edge of my jaw, continuing across my shoulder. The rest of us are pretty battered by now too.  
  
The Beast broke Wesley's leg when it threw him out the window of the church. By that time hospitals were in short supply, so we had to set it ourselves. He's walked with a limp since then, though we did a pretty good job and he doesn't need a cane at least. Physically Willow's mostly unscathed, just a few scars along her arms and back, but something happened to her when she tried to banish the Beast. It grabbed her magic and twisted it or something. I don't understand and I don't want to understand much more about it, but she just stared at nothing for weeks afterwards, and when she came back her magic was gone. Caleb cut off three of Cordy's fingers with that stupid axe-thing of his when she got in his way, and some moronic probably brain damaged vampire lunged for her neck and ended up shredding her ear instead. Lilah lost a hand and an eye to some insect demon She made jokes that it seemed to have become a tradition. I didn't get them. Then I remember Lilah died three weeks ago, fed to the local vampire boss, Ar-kal. New fashion with vampires is to take demon names. Helps them to blend in. Of course, the Beast is going to accomplish what Slayers have wanted to do for thousands of years, and drive the vampires to extinction. There aren't all that many humans left anymore, and the ones still around have learned to protect themselves.  
  
They're unnecessary anyway. "The last true demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed, infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding.Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return."  
  
And they're returning. The Beast just walked into the school in broad daylight, students screaming and scattering, and raised his hands. The walls of the school crumbled, and the ground levelled until there was just that seal standing there. Some guy ran out of the room over the Hellmouth just before the walls collapsed and shot a crossbow at him. It just chuckled again, and brought a pillar of flame down from the sky to incinerate him. Then the seal opened and somehow this thing crawled out of it, even though it was more than ten times the size of the seal. Not the tentacled thing they were expecting, something worse, far worse. The demon Lo-Hash. A soul eater. The Beast didn't yet have enough power to keep it open. But one should have been enough we couldn't fight it, we couldn't face it. Those it consumed were simply gone, their souls destroyed, never to stand before the throne of God. It got the goofy dark haired guy, Xander or something, just swallowed him in one bite. We were lucky. Once. It went for Dawn. There was this big green flash of light before it exploded. I think we used up all our good luck in that moment, cause from there on it sucked. What else can you call it when one of your best fighters, even if he is a vampire, dies in the most idiotic, flukeish way imaginable? Fighting Bringers in a park, he got knocked back and stabbed with a tree branch. He just looked down at himself, said, "Bloody Hell" in exasperation, and turned to dust.  
  
There are more true demons now. Stripping the earth, the land and the sea bare. Some of them scuttle on dozens of spiderlike legs, others slither like snakes, fly above on bizarre wings, burrow through the earth and thrash their way through the sea. And it's my fault.  
  
But it wasn't at first, that's the irony of it. It rose from where I was born in an explosion of rock and steam. It didn't kill me, and it left her alone when I said. When we next met, it called me "brother". We should have realised that anything capable of making fire fall from the sky would also be capable of appearing wherever it wanted, and calling someone whatever it liked. When Cordelia went into labour it sent demons after us, to chase us into the cold. Her name was going to be Sarah. She died out there, stillborn, and demons stole her corpse. We left behind Fred to look after Cordelia, she was still too upset over Gunn, and went to get back what we thought the Beast feared enough, limp and bloody as she was, what we thought was our only chance to stop it. A great church, we burst in. Caleb preaching to a congregation of demons and Bringers with the Scythe, the Beast standing on the altar with our daughter's corpse in one hand. And the First hovered over it all, swapping from form to form. When it saw us all, my father, Buffy, Faith, Wesley, Willow, Anya, Giles, all the Potentials we were helping, the Brachen demons we'd recruited, even Andrew, it laughed. Not its usual chuckle, but a full, mocking laugh that resounded around the church, and it clenched her tiny form in its fist. As her bones snapped they threw out her limbs, giving her for an instant a grotesque mockery of life, and threw her at my feet. I can remember it perfectly, the wet slap she made, the pattern of blood she sprayed, how many stones were on the floor. It was just a joke. A trick, and I led them right into it.  
  
The next thing I remember I was covered in black blood, the Beast had a grip on my right wrist, and I'd just stuck what was left of my sword in its eye. Later they told me it had swallowed most of it when I stabbed it in the mouth. Cordy says unless you weigh about three times as much as I do, and have a big axe and a beard, then you have no right to go berserk. It tossed me across the room and ignored the molten rock flowing from its eye. Caleb cut a swathe through the Potentials, while the Beast took on Buffy and Angel. Faith had her neck broken by the Tarok-Han just before Anya took off its head, and a couple of seconds later Caleb was knocked across the room by the next Slayer, the one who didn't speak a word of English and spent most of her time hiding from Mr. Giles. He dropped the Scythe and she grabbed it, and for a second or two it looked like we might even win. Then a small dragon-like demon swooped down from the ceiling and bit off her head. Caleb was over there faster than I've ever seen anyone move and got to the Scythe before they even knew which one was the next Slayer. The Beast sent Buffy hurtling across the room into the wall. The First screamed out "Not yet, fool!" She was unconscious, but not dead. Caleb grabbed the last Potential, the new Slayer, tossed her into the font, and forced her head into it. You only need two inches of water to drown someone. I heard that somewhere. I jumped over and tried to stab him in the neck with the Bringer knife I'd taken. I missed. I'm sorry. I'd just had my daughter's dead body mutilated in front of me, been thrown about thirty feet by something whose hands burn whatever they touch, and Lilah kept on shooting things. I was disorientated. Anyway I just gashed him instead, and he elbowed me in the chest, then just bashed her brains out on the font.  
  
The Beast's eye lit up, and started to walk towards Buffy, its footsteps shaking the earth. Dad managed to pick up the troll hammer Buffy had been using against it, and hit it against its back. Cracks, actual cracks appeared, but he almost fell over from the weight of it. The Beast smashed him to the floor and stamped on his shoulder so hard his arm was separated from the pulverized bone. At this point me and Caleb had our first real fight. We've always had a personal thing between us, mostly because he stopped me from helping my father and maimed Cordelia, but also as we're the only real Christians, or at least follow vaguely Christian beliefs. He swung at me with the Scythe, and I blocked with a candlestick holder. That got a few desperate laughs later. Apparently that's some kind of cliché. I kicked him in the face and tried to jump past. He caught my foot and pulled me back down, and I looked up just in time to see the Beast smash the pulpit over its arm, and drive it into my father's chest. I shouted out that I loved him, meant it. I'm not sure if he even heard me. Caleb kicked me in the ribs, which by that time I was getting pretty tired of people doing, then ripped the pedestal with the font on it out of the floor. The Beast crushed Buffy's head between its fists, and Caleb stooped and stared upwards. I rolled away and followed his gaze. The First changed to its true form and vanished in a vortex of red light. With not a chance of killing the Beast and the First having got what it was here for, Wesley made the decision to get out of there, and tried to organize a tactical retreat. It might have worked better if the Beast hadn't got to him. As it was it was more of a rout, made worse when the Beast turned the sky to flame.  
  
Its power doesn't reach below the earth, at least not to the extent it does above, so we hide from the sky like vampires. So it's not perfect. Or nice. But it's an improvement. Throughout the lair people and demons- no. People. Demons can be people too. Now that I've seen real demons, I can believe that.  
  
I'm going somewhere with this. Please please review. 


	2. Reboot

AN: This is just to reassure anyone who cares that, yes, I am still alive, and no, I haven't lost the use of my hands. This is what was planned from the beginning, I just got sidetracked. Sorry if it's not what was expected. I wish I could promise another update soon, but I'm currently doing my GCSEs and moving house, so things are becoming rather hectic.  
  
Cordelia-  
  
It was a pretty normal day, until he came. I had never expected to see him again, had though they'd forgotten about us entirely. Even more of a shock than seeing him was seeing that he was as hurt as the rest of us. He only had one horn left, there was a plate missing from his chest, and let's see...oh yeah, he's only got one arm. I mean, Angel said he'd beaten him up to get to Billy, but this was different.The sentries are going to get an earful. He should not have been able to just show up in the middle of us. "Oh, it's the multiverse's most unhelpful demon guide. What is it this time?" "Good to see you too. Mind telling the nice people who I am before someone attacks me?" "Maybe we should," I say, and if he hasn't got anything useful to tell us I'll be the first in line. "I'm here to help," Skip claims. Wesley laughs bitterly. "We appreciate the gesture. But in this case, "Better late than never" is nonsense." Several of the demons have already changed faces, and there's the clearly audible sound of several sharp objects being sharpened. Skip raises his hands defensively. "I'm a servant of the Powers That Be," he proclaims loudly. Wow, he really has been out of touch. Several people look murderous now instead of wary. But I guess there is a chance he could help us, so I get up and walk towards him. "This is Skip. He's okay," I say, and look meaningfully at the door and most of them leave, the ones who're only here because they think there's safety in numbers. "What the Hell do you think you're doing here? Now? Two years ago we could have used your help. Maybe even one year ago. Why, so you can tell us exactly how we screwed up before we die?" "I told you," he says stubbornly, "I'm here to help." "When you say help," Willow interrupts, "do you mean help in the way the rest of us are helping, or help in a way that will make a difference in a few years time?" "Door number two," he says, and there's a bit of smugness in his voice. "How?" Wesley asks. Skip nods over at Connor, who gets that look on his face. You know, the wide-eyed one that makes him look about twelve. Haven't seen it in a long while. "What have I got to with this?" "Uh, excuse me? Four thousand year old prophecy? Child of two vampires? This ringing any bells? You're a failsafe." "A what?" "Possibly you should tell us what precisely you want us to do. Bearing in mind that we haven't agreed to do anything," Wesley says, trying to get things back on track before I have to say something like "I think it's to do with computers. Or not. Ask Willow." "Right. Yeah," says Skip, getting a hold of himself. "Well, you have to go back to before things went wrong, and make them happen the way they were supposed to." The Powers suck, you know that? "Great. Just great. And do have a time machine handy? Or is your plan for us to invent one?" I say. It's kinda surprising just how much emotion can register on a face like that. He's definitely exasperated with a touch of impatience and maybe just a little sympathy. "Yeah. We know where to get one. Something that'll work as one." Now I'm shaken. They actually have a real plan. "Okay then," Willow says, her voice slurring slightly. "Where is it?" "It's right here," he says, and holds out a tacky vase. Then his eyes widen. "Shit!" Hurry up, he's coming!" "Who's coming?" Wesley demands. "Agent Smith. Who do you think is coming?" he shouts. "Smash it!" Connor looks at me. "Can I just-," he says, and then the wall disintegrates. The Beast is standing there with his lieutenants, the vampires Trakthk and Illyria, spines erupting from their rock-like carapaces, and whatever Ethan Rayne's become. Ethan raises his hands and green fire spreads across his arms, the vampires leap onto the ceiling, and the Beast flies towards us, something like fear twisting its scarred features. Connor breaks the urn, and-  
  
Connor-  
  
The sky flickers from one shade to another, often earthly but not always. Walls of plaster and wood and rock appear and fade into each other or away, leaving barren desert or city or forest or tossing ocean. As I walk towards the figure the changes become more erratic, sometimes taking place so quickly there isn't time to take in the new surroundings, sometimes staying for a few seconds. When I'm very close, an old female demon stays long enough to give me a business-like nod, while younger demons look sombre or angry and the smallest ones look on in confusion and fear, and then I'm before the figure, which changes from human to demonic visage, from young to old, and then my hands are around its neck, and it no longer changes but is one. And that neck is at once young and muscular and withered with saggy skin, bone-dry and flaking and wet with blood and sweat and less identifiable substances, and my hands twist and the neck breaks and with a snap the demon dies in all possibilities, and the world goes black.  
  
Buffy-  
  
"Hello? Is there some reason you're standing in the way?" I ask. He stops staring past me at Cordelia's retreating back and grins broadly. "Hi. You look really different. I barely recognised you." Oh God. Who is he? How can you forget having met someone with a massive scar across half his face? I have no memory of this person. "Oh yeah. It's... you! Gosh, I didn't recognise you myself at first. How have you been?" He looks kinda confused. "We've never met." Ooookaaay. "Uh. Never mind," he continues. "I have to talk to you." "Technically, I think you've just been doing that." "No." He looks around at the people walking by, who are taking zero interest in us. "In private." "You're some creepy senior who gets kicks out of freaking out sophomores, right? I'm going nowhere with you." "You don't want anyone else to know what I need to talk about." "Start talking about it, then I'll decide." "It's about the Harvest." "What? That's like a, dance or something right? The Harvest Dance? Hell no." Freak much? I duck under his blocking arm and walk off fast. Cordelia may be scarily shallow, but I'm not messing up my social life by talking to freaks like that. After a little while I hear him turn and start hurrying after me. He's quiet, as quiet as-Don't go there. His head bends around to be level with my ear, and I tense. He murmurs, "It's an ancient vampire ritual. The Master's going to get power from one of his followers and break free." No. No no no. I am not getting dragged back into this. I push him into a locker, harder than I meant to, and he's thin enough that I can feel his ribs under my hands when I do it. "Shut up. That's not what I do. Not again." He seems to flow away from the locker, unfazed despite the fact that his shoulder hit hard enough to dent the door. "You can't run away from this. They'll draw you back in, all of them." "No! I'm... I'm not going to listen to this. I'm just going to go to the library, and get my books, and no one is going to bother about this again. Now go away before I come out of retirement one last time." I walk off and hate the fact that I'm dong it so fast, but when I turn the corner and check to see if he's following he's gone. 


End file.
